Insects, AI Systems, and the Future of Legal Personhood

Authors

• Jeff Sebo, New York University

First Page

197

Abstract

This Article makes a case for insect and AI legal personhood. Humans share the world not only with large animals like chimpanzees and elephants but also with small animals like ants and bees. In the future, we might also share the world with sentient or otherwise morally significant AI systems. These realities raise questions about what kind of legal status insects, AI systems, and other nonhumans should have in the future. At present, debates about legal personhood mostly exclude these kinds of individuals. However, I argue that our current framework for assessing legal personhood, coupled with our current framework for assessing risk and uncertainty, imply that we should treat these kinds of individuals as legal persons. I also argue that we have good reason to accept this conclusion rather than alter these frameworks.

Recommended Citation

Jeff Sebo, Insects, AI Systems, and the Future of Legal Personhood, 31 Animal L. Rev. 197 (2025).
Available at: https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/alr/vol31/iss2/5